Going into the game, New England Patriots safety Kevin Byard had one goal at the forefront of his mind: intercept Aaron Rodgers.
And he almost did that in the Patriots' 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but the ball bounced off the ground just before he could get his hands under it. Instead, Byard finished the day with four tackles. However, that missed opportunity did loom over him for a bit after the game.
"Yeah, I wanted it bad. I kind of knew the ball hit the ground, so I just tried to keep up a good acting job," he told reporters. "I got very close to one, but it’s more about the win and to see Gabe [Jacas] get an interception. We got the sack strip fumble touchdown, we should’ve had one earlier in the game. It’s just fun,
all the coverage and the pass rush working together.”
So why did this particular potential interception mean so much to him?
The veteran safety has 36 career interceptions and was looking for his first as a member of the Patriots. But, he specifically wanted to intercept Rodgers to add to his collection, with the safety telling reporters earlier in the week that he keeps each and every ball from the interceptions. That includes ones he snagged from "Josh Allen a couple of times," as well as Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Lamar Jackson.
Specifically, he recorded seven last season with the Chicago Bears.
But although Byard did not get his interception, the Patriots still had a strong day defensively, and the captain was able to make an impact as the team bounced back for their first win of the season against a conference rival.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Kevin Byard came close to adding Aaron Rodgers to INT collection
